Growing Up Country

Tonight, I went to Iowa City to eat supper with my friend Carol Bodensteiner. She's in town for the Iowa Writer's Festival (where we met -- many years ago). She wrote the wonderful book, "Growing Up Country".

Last year, after my book club read the book (a bunch of country girls) -- we had our meeting at the Fountains, a retirement community where my aunt & uncle live. We had a GREAT time wearing gingham aprons and setting up the dining room with printed tablecloths from the 50's. Each of us brought food we remembered from our childhood -- (translation -- a big selection of jello salads). And we discussed Carol's book.

So many things in her book rang true with us. The farm life, the county fair -- oh, yeah -- the jello salads!